The best cruise ship spas are so peaceful and relaxing that they may not only be your personal haven at sea but also the “happy place” you envision for the next time you go to the dentist.
Like most shipboard spas, these Zen accommodations typically include a hot room with a sauna, steam room and possibly a hot tub; menu for massages and facials; and a salon with hairdressers and manicurists. However, our favorites go above and beyond with spa-inspired cruises, tranquil accommodations and unique treatments and programs aimed at strengthening your mental and physical health.
Here’s our pick of the best cruise ship destinations that are sure to wipe away all your stress.
LivNordic Spa, Viking
The thermal suite on Viking’s adult-only cruise ships is notable for its elegant design and separate hot and cold treatments; it is also remarkable because it is commendable to all the passengers on board. You don’t need to book a spa or buy a day pass to relax in the tranquil setting, with Swedish limestone and black slate, juniper and teak wood details, accented opaque glass and cast iron.
Viking spas are distinctly Scandinavian in design and include a resistance pool, sauna, heated tiled lounge chairs, steam room, bucket-style ice shower and snow grotto. The snow grotto is exactly what it sounds like: a snow-filled, neon-lit space designed to cool you down. In that way it mimics the Scandinavian tradition of rolling around in the soft white stuff after your time in the sauna.
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If you’re willing to open your wallet for more pampering, you’ll find an impressive menu of spa treatments. Options include a Nordic night bath option and a range of hard-to-find Norwegian spa products that use regional ingredients, such as cloudberries.
Two cruise ships have the added benefit of floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can watch whales breaching while relaxing on the lake.
Cost of access to the thermal suite: $0
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Accommodations in Seabourn
Seabourn’s spa stands out from the crowd thanks to the line’s signature Mindful Living program, curated by renowned integrative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil.
The program includes yoga, guided meditation, full body massage, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine consultation and crystal sound baths. Other lines also offer Eastern-inspired health options, but the Dr. Weil on Seabourn ships provides an air of authenticity.
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The rest of the spa area is also amazing. Seabourn’s new ships offer spacious spas with fitness centers and salons, as well as heated suites with steam rooms, monsoon showers and heated tiled floors.
Even the line’s cruise ships, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, have 3,700-square-foot Adam Tihany-designed lounges. Each has an airy sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Cost of a Mindful Living Plan: Some activities – such as seminars, meditation and yoga – are included in the cost of your cruise. Others — such as a 50-minute acupuncture session ($199) and a 50-minute earth-grounding massage ($199) — require an additional charge.
AquaSpa, Celebrity Boats
On Celebrity Cruises’ luxury Edge Class ships – Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent – you’ll find everything you can imagine in a big city spa and fitness center. Imagine an amazing spa with innovative treatments, such as an antigravity massage and a thermal suite with an infrared sauna and a room designed for swing meditation.
The salon area includes a teeth whitening program and the first hair salon at sea branded with the Parisian Kerastase line. The 24-hour fitness center is also impressive; offers Peloton bikes and barre, high interval training and bungee-based classes.
Book an AquaClass cabin, and you get amenities that take the experience to the next level.
Expect complimentary fitness classes and Sea Thermal Suite passes, spa access, healthy room service options and a yoga mat to use on board.
Finally, AquaClass offers guests exclusive access to Blu — a restaurant that specializes in “clean eating” options and vegan options. Don’t miss the muesli table, which was the best muesli I’ve ever had.
Cost of Sea Thermal Suite pass and fitness class pass: The price of the passes depends on the route and the time of your trip. At press time, a seven-day Sea Thermal Suite pass on the Celebrity Ascent was $219.
Serene Spa, Regent Seven Seas Cruises
The Serene Spas on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ new ships are nothing short of amazing. Think marble floors, curved wooden desks and Swarovski crystal sculptures. You may never want to leave the stunning infinity-edge pool nestled in the teak deck behind the ship.
Open air spas have all the usual offerings – yoga classes, sauna and steam rooms, a full menu of facials and massages and nail and hair salons. Dual thermal suites are unisex and bath suite-optional, with saunas, steam rooms, showers and a cold room.
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You can easily spend the whole day at the spa, but you can also enjoy being pampered from the ship. Regent offers world-class Serene Spa & Wellness Tours featuring a relaxing experience on the destinations its ships visit. Visit the Papal Baths in Viterbo, Italy – just outside Rome – or take a meditation class on the Mediterranean island of Palma de Mallorca.
Cost of medical visit: Some excursions are included in the cost of your cruise (such as sunsets in Tenerife and meditation in Mallorca). Others charge more, such as $139 for a hot tub experience in Italy.
Senses Spa, Scenic Luxury Cruise & Tours
The spa on Scenic’s cruise ships, Scenic Eclipse I and Scenic Eclipse II, is a great place to retreat to after a day of exploring the world – whether you’re in the Northwest Passage or Antarctica.
Hang your hiking clothes up in the mud house (a place to take off your muddy boots after a day of hiking in the tundra) and make your way to the hot spot. It offers a beautiful sauna, an indoor Scandinavian plunge pool and an outdoor pool, too.
Each stunning slate-lined thermal suite is available to all passengers on board, free of charge, except for cabin class regardless of whether they have booked a treatment. The spa and salon menu includes facials, salt scrubs, tonics, blowouts and hot stone massages – which can be especially welcome after traversing the ice to see penguins in Antarctica.
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Like the ship’s impressive facilities – which include a submarine and helicopter – the spa also goes above and beyond with its spa suites. The luxurious spa suites on Decks 8 and 9 on both Scenic Eclipse ships feature Philippe Starck-designed bathrooms with mist showers. It features a variety of color choices, large Jacuzzi tubs overlooking the sea on a private balcony and a glass partition to the main room that becomes opaque at the touch of a button. Yes, they offer exclusive access to the spa.
Cost of access to the thermal suite: $0
Spa to the rescue, Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages has worked hard to add playful experiences to its adults-only ships, including a spa. In addition to spa treatments and a healthy juice and smoothie bar, the line’s “wellness” program includes the ship’s coolest, most talked-about feature: the squid ink tattoo parlor. We all know that self-expression is another way to improve well-being.
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If the thought of needles makes you sweat, you can turn up the heat with Virgin’s free fitness classes and alfresco yoga instead. Or, choose to feel the temperatures rise in Virgin’s thermal suite; it boasts heated lounge chairs, an indoor hydrotherapy pool, a hot tub, an unusually large sauna and a steam room.
Then cool off in two cold pools, a mud room (where you can apply mud for the whole body) and a salt room. A three-hour spa pass costs $59 per person on port days and $79 on beach days.
Another fun feature is a small men’s salon called Stubble & Groom, which offers hot lather shaves and grooming. You’ll definitely want some manscaping to go along with your new tattoo.
Cost of tattoos at Squid Ink: $150 (and up)
Otium, Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises’ Otium (pronounced aught-zium) spa concept extends wellness and comfortable living from the spa to your cabin. The best part is that many of the experiences beyond the actual spa treatment are included in your fare.
The signature Otium Experience is 100 minutes of heavenly pleasure; they include aromatherapy, massage and body treatments inspired by the gods. Your pleasure does not end at the end of your massage. You’ll be escorted to a lounge with lounge chairs, access to the steam room and sauna, and indulgent nibbles including sparkling wine, cocktails and house-made truffles and marshmallows.
When you return to your suite, you can keep the hedonistic vibe going by requesting an aromatherapy bath or shower with the scents of your choice. You can then wrap yourself in a cashmere blanket, sit on your balcony and feast on lobster and caviar on brioche with lemon mayonnaise or roasted potatoes with truffle oil and Parmesan – all from the Otium Comfort Food Dining menu.
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When you’re ready to turn in for the night, you’ll find spa access extended to your bed. The Otium Soft Touch mattress — by top Italian designer Rivolta Carmignani — has a 400-pocket spring system infused with essential oils and 400-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. It will soothe your tired limbs and remove any residual stress you may be feeling on vacation.
Otium Spa is on Silversea’s Silver Dawn, Silver Nova and Silver Ray.
Cost of Otium in-suite spa services: $0
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